Category Archives: China

On my trip to China we had to travel long distances throughout the hinterland of the Yunnan province. Hours and hours over bumpy roads were rewarded with stunning landscapes. Luckily we encountered many mysterious situations in the early morning when the sun made the fog disappear. Here are some impressions – silent and beautiful.

All these images were shot on a Mamyia 7 camera and film – it’s been a while since I haven’t actually shot on film. Still miss the feeling of coming home from a long trip and the excitement picking up the rolls from the lap. The first moments going through the shots with a magnifier….

It’s lunch time in one of the KangYun Foundation schools in rural China. All children are gathering in front of this tiny kitchen where the food is prepared and everyone is hungry. But before lunch is actually served the chef reads out what’s on the menu and asks them for discipline.

When I was working for the Kang Yun Foundation in rural China in 2006 we passed the small remote village called Baifu where we stopped to visit the local market. I was told to expect some sort of reaction as I might be the first western person ever. Despite the fact that I didn’t believe that and still don’t, it was quite an experience.

People stared at me, paused talking, pointed their fingers and stopped their business for a little while. Obviously my appearance didn’t have such a great impact to stop people from trading, bargaining, buying, selling and gambling. Being alien even for a few minutes and in the centre of everyone’s attention happens quite rarely though.

In 2006 I volunteered the first time for a charity, the Kang Yun Foundation in rural China. An international shipping company supported the organisation to build schools in the unaccessible hinterland of the Yunnan province.

Reading about the stock market crash, the financial and military power and the general influence of China made me remember what I experienced. The organisation literally built schools from scratch and brought education to remote places. In some places I was told to be the first western visitor ever.

Comparing this to the ever fast growing economy, to the images of polished cities like Shanghai or Beijing and the news on the impact Chinese economy has on the rest of the world it feels completely surreal and alien when I look at some of these images.

Shanghai at night time when I arrived. I left to the province of Yunnan early next morning.